move over Enya

The cd cover on the right is one that i've seen hundreds of times. Im not sure who actually owns it, but its the kind of CD that pops up all the time when people are running things like group reflections/meditations and at devotional gatherings and what not.

Well, while getting some other music off someone for a quiz - she kindly copied over a bunch of other stuff, that happened to include this album.

And so it sat on my iTunes playlist for about a week - where I subconsciously judged most of it (except "Dante's prayer") as "boring" worthy of an automatic next... but since then Ive been listening to all the songs a bit more.

And you know what - I dont care that she's almost 50 (I had to google that, I thought she was a lot younger) - but im loving this voice. (sorry - cant think of a better place to link than Amazon.com where all the "sample" are mostly instrumental - but Im sure half of you own the cd).

Seriously - it is just so relaxing, and promoting of reflection (??? cant think of what actual word to use)... me fail english - thats unpossible.

I think im gonna buy this next time I see it for sale.

more random photos

As I was posting that previous post, I was checking out some of the other random photos on my phone. (note: Phone - so thats why they are crappy quality, and also note that the people at O2 are complete jackasses, coz they chuck in a 2.0 megapixel camera, but dont give it the 'insulation'? required to cancel out the phones radiowaves (or something like that which a techno-buff told me recently... I have no desire to know these things)).
(I dont know whats so special about American Cheese, or why someone would advertise it on their remote control storage device, but I thought it was cool).

bring on the early morning starts

Look, I know giant beer mugs have been around for ages.
And I know giant novelty coffee mugs have too - but I finally got my first giant mug - a Starbucks "London" one (from my Uncle in Atlanta - go figure).

First thing to acknowledge before you look at that photo is that I do not have a small head. In fact, I dont know many people with a head bigger than mine - So i just reckon the mug is massive.

Finally I can start drinking the 600mL of real coffee that I probably need each morning. (not that Im addicted to the stuff, I went cold turkey for a few months this year - great way to clear the system).

Which one are you?

There are two types of people in the world:
Those that prefer Snatch, and
Those that prefer Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.
Which one are you?


For the record - I prefer Lock Stock (watched it again tonight).
Its not as funny, and doesnt quite have the same level of interesting characters - but it is just so much more clever, that I enjoy watching it more.
(and I have to admit that maybe its the whole "low budget" non-hollywood feel as well).

Socks & Clocks & aah shocks

Time for a multi-blog.

First up - I made my showbiz debut last night at musarts (a range of musical performances held at the Baha'i Center of Learning in Myaree)... playing a sock. Ok, i was just helping Sam in his "ventroliquism" as the MC. Kind of a shame that most people recognised my voice, but it was still a bit of fun.

Daylight Savings - I officially hate it.
All you easterners may have other ideas - but i have never seen a point to it. Why should the clock dictate your life? (Outside of work). We've never had any issues in not having daylight savings - why introduce it now?
Seriously - all it does it make me spend half an hour trying to change all the clocks in our house - and now I still have to do all the cars. And Im sure that a bunch of people would have turned them the wrong way - so whats the bet that for the next few weeks people are using Daylight Savings as their excuse for being 2 hours late.

And finally - shocks. (well, not really - but i couldnt think of another word that rhymes)
Its funny how med. gives you a different view on things.
Today I saw a license plate: "CIN 2" (sorry, i couldnt take a photo).
Surely it just meant "Cindy" or something - but to every med student out there - it means something completely different. (unless of course if she really was publicising the results of her most recent Pap Smear)

Whats your deepest fear?

I wasnt expecting this, but I heard a great quote in the movie Coach Carter.

Its basically at the climax of the movie - where a group of high school basketball players decide to stop all the crap and do the study needed to get into College, and its by one of the most troubled students.

Apparently this is from a poem by Marianne Williamson:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

The Departed

Saw The Departed last night - good movie, but there were a few things about it that got on my nerves.

Its a crime movie adapted from a Hong Kong film - Internal Affairs, and has quite the star-studded cast. (DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin, plus Anthony Anderson trying to be serious).

Basically, youve got your cops (Baldwin, Sheen, Wahlberg) who are after the top Irish mobster (Nicholson), and 2 guys straight out of state police training (DiCaprio and Damon) have roles on both sides.

Its a nice, complicated movie, filled with twists and turns, and its hard to pick what happens to each character.

Now, without saying too much, I will mention the two things that bugged me about this movie:

1. The language. C'mon - normally i accept a degree of swearing in a movie - but this one was just getting ridiculous - and most of it was pretty pointless.

2. The ending. They put so much effort into building characters and plot - and the middle part of the movie was great - but the ending really just left me going: "umm... Ok".

the Slow Drive

I have this random thing that I do when I drive - and im just trying to figure out if anyone else has ever done the same thing.

There are certains times when Im driving (eg. tired after sport, or a late night, as well as other random times) that I'll head off of Stirling Hwy and take the back streets home.

Now - normally when someone takes the back streets its so they can avoid traffic, or speed... but I do something different:

I sometimes just drive really, really slow (normally around 30-40, and sometimes im almost just idling by the time im on our road).
I use that as like the final warm down after whatever i was doing.

Honestly - has anyone else ever done this?

2/3

talk about stress relief.

The last few days ive been like this:





And as of about half an hour ago, ive been like this:








I just found out that I passed 4th year of med - 2 to go.

Im not outwardly elated or anything - but it is like a blanket of stress just lifted right off me.
Problem with this years results were that:
1. I was not overly confident about 1 particular exam (a practical exam that kinda covers everything), and
2. If you fail that exam you dont find out the normal way - you get a Phone Call (which would've been yesterday), and have to spend your summer in the hospital.

Part of me was sure that i was gonna get that phone call - and i actually sat by the phone all day yesterday (ok, i was watching DVDs).

So - what am I gonna do today?
Same thing I try to do everyday, pinky - Try to take over the world

Rottnest Island

Went to Rottnest today - for the first since a Baha'i Summer School about 10 years ago... and I dont think the place has changed At All.

I was a bit apprehensive if it would be worth the $37 ferry ride (25% off) ... and it wasnt helped on learning that Persians are definately not the only race who have issues with punctuality (Thanks to Bal, Jeff, Shermin and Varun who were the only ones actually there on time)... but ended up with 13 of us there, and it was heaps of fun.

Went to Pinky's, The Basin and Geordie Bay... ate lunch at Red Rooster... and kicked some quokkas- oh the memories. (okay, i never did the last one - we actually only saw about 6 quokkas all day - but we were in the main corner of the island, and coz we were only there for 6 hours, didnt go around).

Did all the usual things - played cricket, built a sandcastle (ok, i just destroyed it... but the credit for building goes to rhuju, jing, mike ma etc.)... even chucked in a bit of singing on the beach for good measure.

Couldnt we have done all this at cottesloe - yeah probably, but its different when theres no-one else around and your on "Rottnest".

One of the cools things was that their was a bunch of kids on their school excursion: they were with us on the Ferry there and back, and I think we ran into them at one of the beaches as well. Not really cool - but it fully took me back to my Year 7 excursion to Rottnest. Oh, and one of the teachers fell asleep on the ferry back and everyone (kids and teachers) were just taking photos making fun of him... oh, to be back in primary school.

All in all - a great day, and I hope its not another 10 years until I go back there.
(oh, and we realised that we couldve stayed the night for just $11 more each... that would've been well wicked).

Oh - and I think im burnt - after putting on a bucketload of sunscreen (and reapplying after lunch as well)... this Aloe Vera better work.

Bring on Borat (hells yes)... and OSCE results (i might cry) on thursday.

week of movies

As you may be able to tell by my last post - I just saw Napolean Dynamite (for the first time - actually.... about 2 years too late).
Ive seen a few other movies since exams finished and Ive decided to rate them.

The Break Up
1 star:
Utter rubbish.
Another one of those movies made by a couple that I just should've known was gonna be a bomb. Only good bit was what happened at the end (I wont spoil it for anyone), but nice to see something different.

Click
2.5 stars:
Adam Sandler not at his best - but I thought it was still decent.
Nice concept - Cristopher Walken did a good job... and Kate Beckinsale is hot.
Just a standard "get your priorities right" kind of movie, and although it wasnt hilarous still good to watch. Loved the return of the O'Doyles, and Rob Schnieder as an Arab prince.

Shaun of the Dead
3 stars:
Funny movie - but not roll on the floor funny which is the reputation it has. It had a number of really funny moments - but also had boring bits.
Stupid concept (which is a good thing) but i loved the british comedy.

Lake House
3.5 stars:
Im sure most people hated it but Honestly, I liked it. Sweet concept - and showing all the links between the two characters was a good effort. Maybe its coz of Sandra Bullock, and maybe its because I was playing a computer game while watching it - but the ending had me hooked.

Napolean Dynamite
4.5 stars:
Im sure everyone else has seen it... but I just never got around to it. One of the funniest movies I have seen in a while, but just not quite up in hall of fame levels just yet. The music was great - the characters were funny, and I just had to see that dance sequence in the proper context.
And there were just soooo many snippets that "nerds" the world over are gonna be repeating for the next 10 years. (We are all "nerds" in my eyes).
It was heartwarming, it was hilarous, it was fun to watch - but it was no Shawshank.

The return of Enola

Remember this girl:
Well - anyone notice that she was the same as this girl:

I love IMDB.

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine

I've heard this before, but I just read it in one of my textbooks while I was studying (I was typing stuff on the computer ayway) - so I thought it was worth putting up on the blog:
(ignore the old english)

"No man is an island, intire of its selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of they friends or of thine owne were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls: It tolls for thee."
-John Donne 1572-1631.

Ok, the first and last parts are pretty clear.
Can someone explain to me the middle bits?

Fuuuuuschia

Mazza just recently posted a list of things you do when procrastinising.

And I figured, really, there should only be One thing on this list:

EAT CHOCOLATE. (Or lollies, or any variation therefrom - and this also includes the process of going to the place of purchase - be it vending machine, supermarket, or friendly "Women's Auxiliary" in your local hospital - that third one, for anyone who's never been to Charlies hospital is gun - you get $1 bags of mixed lollies that come in a paper brown bag - just like primary school).

Now, sometimes you find something new to eat, and it can be quite exciting: (Trust me on this one)

So many good things about this:

- Chocolate
- Your good old Tim Tams,
- but this time Strawberry flavoured inside.
- Its supporting Pink Ribbon Day, for Breast Cancer Awareness. (23rd October, btw).
And the best thing:
-its PINK
-you can look stylish while your packing on the pounds.
(although in this case - its great, coz its so new, all your friends at the library will want a taste - so not only do you get to share the love - but you dont scoff your face).

NBL on FTA

Ive got some HUGE news for basketball fans (and former fans) out there. - The one marketing move that everyone has been waiting for:

The NBL (National Basketball League - for those too young to remember when it was relevent) have come to an agreement with Channel 9 - and the result will be a One Hour- Weekly Highlights Show:
Sundays 11:30am. (starting on the 15th of October)

I urge everyone with just an ounce of interest in the sport to follow it - an especially those of us in Perth - coz the Wildcats are back on top of the ladder: 4-0.
(Im sure you remember names like Ricky Grace, Andrew Vlahov, and James Crawford.)

I garauntee that you'll get hooked back onto the NBL - Or YOUR MONEY BACK (Oh wait a minute - its FREE to air televesion).

Its only the beginning - but hopefully in 1-2 years the basketball will really be competing with the Cricket in terms of popularity. (And Crickets a day-time game)

ps. I thought I was jumping the gun - but just as I was typing this, the NBL Officially Announced the move. But you know Ive gotta be excited to be posting at 7 in the morning.

Cidade de Deus

Just finished watching "City of God" on SBS.

I'd heard heaps of good things about this movie but had never gotten around to seeing it. And although I saw what would've been a censored version, its SBS so I reckon they wouldve been pretty sensible to keep from cutting out important parts of the movie.

Basically its about a group of kids who grow up in this particular slum of Brazil: "City of God" and what they had to go through, and one particular kid "Rocket" and his efforts to distance himself from whats going on.

I wont say anything else about the movie except that:
-It was based on a true story (as it mentions before the credits) - but not using the term based loosely (like is often seen) - but the fact that all of these gangs (including the Runts), and all the main characters were real people and this is what actually happened.

-Even more astounding - many of the actors (including the guy playing Rocket) are from "City of God" and some had actually been members of one of the gangs. (Have a look at the IMDB trivia - its pretty fascinating).

Oh - and when the guy Benny goes blonde - he looks absolutely hot. (I cant find a picture on google - so you'll have to see the movie) - as was Angleique.

"One of the best films you'll ever see" - I'd have to agree with that review.

ps. yes, Im using the subtitled names - not the actual portugese names used in the film.

Be...

"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face.
Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge.
Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech.
Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men.
Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression.
Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts.
Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility. "
-Baha'u'llah

Talk about Dodgy Advertising

Saw this sign today, outside a set of Units in Girrawheen.
"Peppermint Grove" - Girrawheen... The New North

(Sydney translation: "Mosman"- Cabramatta... The New West)

Fine... I admit, I'm a yuppy

library computers should die

This post is purely for my frustrationary release mechanisms. (yes I made up a word - Im allowed to)

For once I had been systematic with my study.

I had been typing out detailed notes to a text-book called Talley & O'Connor (Only the most important textbook for being a doctor in Australia- ask anyone)

I'd gotten through 3-and a half chapters (of about 10 that I need to go through) which converted to about 15 pages of notes in Word.

Due to my inability to study at home - I do all this in the library - and I had done some work on it last night and saved it onto my trusty USB called Larry. (LG)

Now, Larry has been a trusty servant since I got him on sale at Harvey Norman - and I have never had any relationship issues with Larry, so I figure he's all the back-up I need. When things are going well with larry, theres no need to unload my thoughts onto my laptop Toby (Toshiba) - I became complacement, and had no other copy of this particular peice of work.

But today - the evil Library computer (lets called her "The Evil Witch From Neverending Story" - from memory, as a kid I thought she was the most evillest witch of them all) decides to corrupt Larry.

But TEWFNS is smart - she doesnt corrupt all of Larry. She uses stealth and goes straight to the one thing I desperately needed from Larry at this time - and just like that, with one twitch of her nose, she wastes a good 12+ hours of work.

And, as every Fable from Aesop must end, here is the moral:
BACKUP YOUR WORK PEOPLE.

ps. I need to cry..... or break a door

One Album Wonders

We've all heard about One Hit Wonders - have a look at your iTunes list (or your chosen mp3 playing format) and Im sure its full of them.

Instead, Im more interested in One Album Wonders (OAWs). Artists who jump onto the scene, have a few hits, and then just dissappear.
Whereas One Hit Wonders often just need a bit of luck, and its often quite predictible after their hit that they will just dissappear, these OAWs usually have a bit of talent and potential but never repeat the success of their first album.

The main current artist who I think will fit this bill is James Blunt. The guy exploded onto the scene, had at least 3 huge hits off this album, but really, who wouldnt be suprised if we never hear from him again?

And obviously Jeff Buckley has to be excused from this list.

But I thinks theres a few bands/artists who I consider fit this list: (This is based on my limited music knowledge. Im sure many of them have been succesful after their 1 album, I just dont recall them getting back on the mainstream music scene - and im only taking like 5 minutes with this list)

Shihad/Pacifier (honestly - bloody american market)
Hootie & the Blowfish
Sixpence none the richer. (or should we just blame Dawsons Creek for these guys)
Area 7
Creed
Dido ("Life for Rent" doesnt even compare to "No Angel", and her time with "Faithless" doesnt count)
George. (and Polyserena is one of my favourite albums)
East 17, Vanilla Ice & MC Hammer.
M2M, TaTu, Atomic Kitten, and 90 % of 'girl bands'... in fact 98-degrees probably joins this list.
Michelle Branch
Queens of the Stone Age (aka. Dave Grohl - mark III)
Shai

honesty - honestly

"Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues"

I dont think too many people would disagree what that - how can you really have anything thats lastingly fruitful without honesty, and without the trust that comes from it. (And a big part of this is about being truthful to yourself - about actually admitting your faults to yourself and the changes you need to make)

"Honesty is the best policy" - we've all probably heard that a hundered times.

So - why is it so difficult a lot of the time?

(look - I'm not talking about not having Tact, which I think most people would agree I tend to ignore more than most... coz thats a whole other issue).

And Im not talking about judging people, or criticizing them for just doing the wrong thing by you.

But, look back at the times in your lives when someone has been honest with you. Whether they are tactful, frank or just flat out brutal. The truth sometimes hurts, but I just think that these disruptions in the status quo (or equilibrium if you will) are some of the defining moments in our lives.

Why did I write all this - I dunno, just figured that my blog had been pretty empty recently so I just put down a few thoughts.

Black-Hawk Down

A good movie - watched it last night on TV.

A few comments:

1. Has there ever been more people putting on accents? (Obviously excluding period pieces). And its not like Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor and Orlando Bloom arent well known actors. The funny thing is, I could easily accept Eric Banas accent, but not the other two. Ewan McGregor should never try an accent- just let him sing his words next time.

2. The funny thing is I recognised just about every american actor in that movie. (Im not really a huge movie buff - so more than anything it just means that they filled all the bit roles with tv/
B-grade guys).

3. What ever happened to Josh Hartnett? Ok, Pearl Harbour and "O" (Othello) were crap movies, but from those, this and his bit part in Sin City - I thought he would become one of the top actors of his day. I had a look at his IMDB profile - and the only movie of his since "40 Days, 40 nights" that Ive heard of has been Wicker Park - and I dont recall hearing anything great about that movie. (Obviously, Im not talking about Sin City which was made in 2005, coz he only had a 5 minute role in that).

4. The guy who plays Lucious Malfoy was in it playing one of the Captains. (The bald guy who gets pissed off at them for killing the water buffallo, and then walks in on the guy making fun of him... for those playing at home). Anyway, I spent the whole movie trying to figure out where I knew him from (it wasnt as obvious as the rest, see Point 2), and needed IMDB at the end to realise that he was Lucious.
The whole point of this? Hurry up JK Rowlings- I need my hit of Harry, (as opposed to "charlie").

Hair apparent

The randomest thing happened when I was getting my haircut yesterday.

One of the other hairdressers (not even the girl cutting my hair) came up to me and said:

"You've got model's hair..."
He went on to talk about how thick it was, and that it goes straight down to the ears (ie. not receeding from the side up) and other random stuff that I didnt really listen to.

This disturbed me for 3 reasons:

1. That a male hairdresser would make that comment to me. At least if it was a girl I could take it as a compliment - but this guy didnt even seem gay - it was just really akward. Its not like im homophobic coz I would've accepted a compliment like that from a guy who is overtly gay.

In all fairness to the guy it was at quarter to 5 and there was noone else in the store - he was probably just trying to make conversation.

2. There are actually Hair Models - and they fully have competitions and stuff where the hairdressers not only cut the hair but also have to dress up the model and get them to walk the catwalk. Im seeing a mix between Idol and Search for a Supermodel - only gay.

3. That these Hair Models must actually be some pretty ugly models if I could be mistaken for one.
No offence if anyone out there is a Hair Model, but honestly, if you are - get a real job. (this coming from a 23-year old with probably another 10 years of study ahead of him).

"I think I killed a duck"

Dont you love when theres actually a good movie on TV?
Like, I just randomly looked at the TV guide at 8:25 tonight to find that my favourite feelgood movie of all time was on: About a Boy.

The first time I saw this movie I thought it was nice - but since then it just keeps getting better everytime I watch it.

Hornby makes a really simple point: "No man is an island" - but despite its simplicity I think it does sum up a lot of what life is about: that the worth of our life does not come down to how much we earn, or what we do (or dont do) for a living, but rather our relationships and the virtues we use in these relationships: honesty, tolerance, consideration, humility, joyfulness etc.

And the whole Singing with your Eyes closed - how good is that?

"I heard he sang a good song..."

Reminiscement

"Back at school we used to dream about this everyday
Could it really happen - or do dreams just fade away?
Then we started singing, and they said it sounds smooth
So we started a group and here we are,
kicking it just for you

Motown Philly back again
Doing a little East Coast fling
Boyz II Men going off
not too hard, not too soft."

(sorry nothing better to write)

Foozball

Today, us and another family from our Baha'i community visited our old neibhours Vahid and Azita who have moved down to Secret Harbour. (sweet place).

Visit Mazza Reys blog to check out the food and other stuff.

I just wanted to comment on their foozball guys.

The picture isnt entirely clear (it was my phone - and 2megapixel just isnt what it used to be), but these are the ugliest foozball guys ever.
1. They have a massive 1950's combover
2. They have scary little chubby faces
3. They have a screw sticking out of their chest - now thats just wrong.

Hope

Go back a few weeks ago, and Im not sure if many of us could see such a rapid ending to the current hostilities in the Middle East.

I dont know a lot about the workings of the UN, or about the recent conflict, but i just had a read of Resolution 1701 - passed last friday. (How cool is that btw. that the UN has all the Resolutions so easily available to the public). I believe that it has also given more power to UNIFIL - the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, that was created in 1978.

Its got a whole bunch of roles but part of its new mandate includes:
"By this resolution, the Council also authorized UNIFIL to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind;"

Today from BBC News: "The UN has expressed cautious optimism that it can deploy an initial 3,500-strong force within two weeks."
(3,000 of those troops are from Bangladesh and Malaysia - which from what I know is pretty standard for UN forces).

You can read UNIFILs daily press releases that give a pretty good summary of the past few days.

This is a summary of the last week:

Friday 11th - "Heavy exchanges of fire continued in the past 24 hours throughout UNIFIL’s area of operation. Hezbollah fired rockets in somewhat reduced numbers from various locations. The IDF continued shelling and aerial bombardment across the south."

Sat. 12th - "The military situation in the UNIFIL area of operation for the most part has remained unchanged in the past 24 hours. Exchanges of fire continued with same intensity."

Sun. 13th - "Exchanges of fire continued in the past 24 hours with heightened intensity throughout the UNIFIL area of operation."

Mon. 14th - "The cessation of hostilities, in accordance with UNSC resolution 1701, came into effect at 08.00 hours local time today."... "There were no reports of incidents or breaches of the agreement in the UNIFIL area of operations until 1300 hours today."

Tue. 15th - "There were no reports of incidents or breaches of the agreement in the UNIFIL area of operations until 1300 hours today since the agreement on the cessation of hostilities came into effect yesterday morning. The parties have ceased firing into the territory of or at the other side, and there were no attempts to occupy any additional territory."

Wed. 16th - "The cessation of hostilities was generally maintained in the past 24 hours, with three incidents reported:
1. An exchange of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah in Haddathah - with four dead Hezbollah members
2. IDF tank positioned on the Israeli side fired one round across the Blue Line into Lebanese territory .... There was no response from the other side and the situation in the area remains calm.
3. Yesterday afternoon, an Israeli aircraft violated Lebanese airspace in the eastern sector."

Thu. 17th - "In accordance with Resolution 1701, the Israeli Army started yesterday the withdrawal from Lebanese territory..."

For what its worth, I think thats a pretty rapid change following the Security Council Resolution.
Yeah its not perfect, and yeah, lets see how long this lasts, but in a global environment where its often hard to get this kind of hope, its another sign that the UN does, at least on some level, work and it is a pretty good foundation to be working on.

Starbury

I dont think many of you know Stephon Marbury. He's an all-star NBA player for the New York Knicks (thats basketball), and for the last 10 years I havent had a whole lot of respect for him as a ball player. He talks himself up endlessly, doesnt provide the goods when it matters on the court, and he plays for the Knicks. (A team thats spends about US$300m on its roster, yet isnt even in the top 20 in the league).

Now, what has Marbury done that makes him worthy of a blog? This: www.starbury.com.

Most of you know, that to buy a decent basketball shoe costs around $200.
Now, that sort of price is all well and good for all of us - but Marbury grew up in Coney Island - IMO, the most famous Ghetto in Brooklyn. (You know from my map that Ive never been to the US - but Ive seen it in a bunch of Movies and TV Shows - stuff like He Got Game and Finding Forrester).
Well, $200 is a bit much of an ask for a lot of the parents in areas like this, and yet the kids play basketball like 8 hours a day (Ok, its the impression I get from movies, obviously not entirely true).

So, Marburys brought out a whole line of top quality (?) shoes for between US$10-$15, and Jerseys for $10. Thats is literally 10% of the price of Nike, and other, products.

In additions to provide affordable shoes, its also (IMO) a big finger up at "Nike etc." and their 1000% profit on every pair of shoes.

So, I just wanted to share my kudos about an NBA Player actually doing something effective to support their community.

ps. Australian basketballer Andrew Gaze (soon to be on Dancing with the Stars, complete with grey hairs) started a similar line of shoes a few years ago, but c'mon these are teenagers we're talking about - how many of them buy shoes from Kmart?

West Side Story

Well, tonight someone randomly said a line from Les Miserables (from the revolution song, you know: Can you hear the people sing, say do you hear the distant drum...) and for about half an hour I couldnt stop myself mumbling the words of the song to myself. (or at least, those words that i did know... i ended up humming it mostly).

But yeah, that got me thinking about great musicals.

And IMO, the best musical ever is West Side Story. The fact that its Shakespeare helps, but the way they made it, and the issues that are discussed, it is just as relevent now as it was 40 years ago... and it hasnt lost a whole lot in terms of humour, and social commentary. (ok, maybe the dancing is a bit outdated, as is the attempt to play basketball at the start of the movie).

It was not only the music and dancing that made it great, this movie included, in my belief, the first ever "Your Mama..." joke.
Tony (=Romeo) is talking to Riff (=Benvolio)

Riff: "Four-and-a-half years I live with a buddy and his family. I think I'm diggin' a guys character... Boy, I'm a victim of dissapointment in you

Tony: "End ya sufferin', little man. Why dontcha just pack up ya gear and move out?"

Riff: "'Cause ya ma's got the hots fa me"

(CLASSIC)

Anyway, I havent figured out (/cant be bothered learning) how to put parts of a DVD onto YouTube, and I could only find a handful of actual clips on YouTube, one of which was this one:

"America" - song by the Peurto Ricans (=The Capulets)
(I had put this video up from YouTube, but then when I went to edit the post to write more text, it dissappeared - someone gimme a comment of how to put it up properly on my blog)

Theres two other videos that I'll link to:
"Officer Krupke" - a classic piece of commentary on youth (and still relevent).
And "Cool" - towards the end, after the murder sequence.

I wish someone would make a musical now that could go down in history in the same way as West Side Story, Fame etc. (the reason I singled out these two, is because using the medium of a musical, they both went fairly deeply (for their time at least) into a range of social ills affecting young people... Im not saying they're the only great musicals).

(Moulin Rouge may become one of these great musicals, but its too soon to tell. I need to watch it in another 5 years and then see how well it lasts)

"Manic Depression is getting me down" and up, and down ...

Its been a whole weekend, so i figured it was time for a new blog.

Started Psych today, and this is something I learned:

Apparently, Nietzsche, a random german dude (kidding, but yeah I am really not into philosophy) said something like this:
"If someone doesnt lose their mind now and again, then you have to question whether they've got a mind to lose"

Ok, ignoring all the issues that raises about the validity of German philosophy, its still an interesting concept.

Anyone who's spent more than 10 minutes with me knows that I lose my mind all the time. (Does that mean that Ive got more of it to lose? hahaha)
I like to joke that i'm Bipolar (or Manic-Depressive in the old school, Jimi Hendrix, times - who the first part of the title is from)... but really thats pretty insensitive to those people who actually suffer from a Bipolar disorder, and im sure that im inside the wide range of what could be considered normal. (or at least, I think I am)

And I know that a lot of my friends go all wonky every now and again as well, and those who dont do it in public - I know its still happens.

But then what about those people who are never random, never obsessive, and always in complete control (I know they're out there). They definately dont all fit into what Nietzsche reckons, coz many of these people are those that im sure most of us all look up to greatly.
(so, more than anything, i think Nietzsche is just trying to make excuses for the rest of us)

But, Whats the difference between them and me(/us?). Is it a mental thing? a social thing? a spiritual thing? And does it even matter?

Is it worth even discussing? (probably not? I mean, what can I do but just look at my own life and try to change the way i behave?).

Well I've got the next 8 weeks to learn from patients who are truly suffering from psychiatric disorders, and Im sure that i'll get a bunch of insights into all this - and Ill probably keep this blog updated with more random thoughts along the way.

Funny comics

I got this link from Shazza's blog - and I couldnt help but paste a few of the other pics into my blog:

www.kalani.com

I swear that this is all completely and utterly true:
from: www.kalani.com

For 30 years, Kalani has been a soulful place of refuge and renewal for guests from around the world.

Kalani's recipe for a transformative vacation:

• Keep your spirit high
• Awaken to new ways of living
• Let yourself relax and rejuvenate
• Attune with creative energy
• Nurture your body and soul
• Indulge in natural splendor

Kalani Honua means harmony of heaven and earth, and this is what we aspire to. We welcome all in the spirit of aloha and are guided by the Hawai'ian tradition of ohana (extended family), respecting our diversity yet sharing in unity.

(but please, dont browse the site for too long - you might not like what you see)

Lost & House

Just saw the final of Season 2 of Lost on TV. (No, I havent downloaded them like everyone else on the planet) Looks to me like the producers learnt something from the response to season 1 and actually gave some answers.

I was expecting another ending without any answers - which probably wouldve gotten rid of any desire I had to watch the next season, but they've done a good job with this one.
The whole electro-magnet thing was unexpected, as was the ending - both the bit with Micheal, and the very end. (I dont want to spoil it for anyone who hasnt seen it).

The funny thing is, out of the whole series, the thing that interests me the most is the mental institution that Hugo and Libby(we saw her their briefly, once) were in. Why were they both there, and whats the significance of Hugo getting the numbers? It just doesnt make sense.

ps. if any of you have been a nerd and read through stuff on the net (I've avoided that with Lost coz I wanna watch it through at the right pace) - the if you post a comment, only mention stuff from series 1 and 2 - nothing new.
---------

House

I dont wanna toot my own horn, but on yesterdays house as soon as I saw him look towards the girls underarm (before actually seeing the bubo), I knew it was plague.
(I knew there must have some positive outcome of doing a whole unit on the History of Medicine and Disease) - and for those non-med people, yeah it is true, plague is still around in many parts of the world - kinda sucks that diseases like this, which to the western world are only really relevent in history books, are still around in the undeveloped areas.

The undeveloped parts of the world: and the USA

Broken Flowers - "If it is broke - dont try to fix it"

I saw this movie last weekend called Broken Flowers. It stars Bill Murray, and the Blockbuster guy said it was decent (and the guy is normally pretty good with this stuff), so I figured it would be similare to Lost in Translation. And its directed by Jim Jarmusch - who's supposed to be this great director, and is so good that he had an SBS documentary about his movies.

The movie is about an eternal bachelor, who randomly gets an anonymous letter that hes got a 19 year old son whos out looking for him... and he spends the whole movie visiting a few women he used to date in an attempt to find out which one is the mother.

You know how some movies are completely random, but in the end it all seems to work out, and you think back that it was an awesome movie? (Adaptation is one of those movies - if you actually think about what happened)

Well - for about 2 hours I was hoping that Broken Flowers would turn into one of those movies.
It got to a stage that I knew this wasnt going to happen - but I still held on to hope and kept watching the movie (more because it was late at night and we couldnt be bothered stopping it), and then as the movie ended I realised that this had been an absolute waste of 2 and a half hours (including the time to rent it).

Why do some film makers make rubbish, and then try to pass it off as art?

I know art is often about opinions - but im usually quite open-minded. (Like, normally when I think a movie is crap, I will still say that I can see why it appeals to some people). If broken flowers appeals to anyone - then they should check themselves into a psych ward. (Im doing my Psych term of Uni at Royal Perth for the next 8 weeks - I'll be sure to drop in and visit).

I know that "ART" is a very broad term, and can be created for a whole number of reasons - but im pretty sure that wasting peoples time is not one of those reasons.

I should sue Jim Jarmusch for 2 hours lost from my life (and then I could do the same to Blogspot.com)... and I just realised that this guy also directed Ghost Dog - one of the only movies that has ever actually made me WANT to sleep.

(4 posts in my first day - I think im getting the hang of this blogspot thing, or... its getting a hang of me)

Where in the world is Carmen Santiago?

In my time visiting blogs, this has been one of the best links. All it does is generate an image of the countries in the world that youve visited. (thanks Mrs Reyhani)

You have visited 13 countries (5%)

(3 of which were just airports, and 2 of was under the age of two)... so it really is a grand total of 8... something to build upon - I think i need to visit Africa and the Americas.

Why Nelly Furtado isnt a sellout

In a recent comment at Shazza Reys blog, someone mentioned that Nelly Furtado was a sellout. This was a thought that had previously entered my head, but someone else saying it just made me furious (ok, not quite), and I immediately replied that to even comment as such was blasphemous to an artist who once held so much promise.

And as such, I was gonna right this whole long post about why Nelly Furtado hadnt become a sellout. But all I could come up with was stuff like: "She's canadian, AND hot", She still dresses nice, writes her own lyrics... but thats about all thats relevent now. (Except that Thin Line, which she did with J5 is still one of my favourite songs).

But you know what, it pains me to say it, but I have to agree with the opinion that she's a sellout.

... but nowhere near as much of a sellout as Kelis.

whats the point?

How I make the most of my time at hospital

For a while now ive seen the number of "bloggers" increase rapidly, and Ive often been heard saying that "I dont have time for a blog"... but Ive decided to screw the consequences and just see how it goes.

Worst case scenario, i just wasted the last half hour, and wont ever look at this again. (and knowing my history, thats not all that unlikely).